KHQ Right Now - News and Weather for Spokane and North Idaho | Structure fire at one of Colville's largest employers

Structure fire at one of Colville's largest employers

COLVILLE, Wash.- Fire crews in Stevens County spent much of Wednesday evening battling a structure fire at one of the town’s largest employers. Part of the Vaagen Brothers Lumber Mill, at 565 west 5^th Avenue in Colville went up in flames Wednesday evening around 5:00. 

KHQ spoke with a gas station attendant just down the block from the mill and he told us he saw fire crews on the scene as late as 11:45 Wednesday night. An employee of the mill tells KHQ several other employees were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation but there were no serious injuries. 

That same employee tells KHQ the fire started in a turbine and knocked out power to the lumber mill. It’s not clear right now if the turbine was in or near the mill’s power station, but the employee told KHQ the power could be affected Thursday. The gas station attendant we talked to told KHQ that power was knocked out to that station as well. 

The Vaagen Brothers Lumber Mill employs about 200 people in Colville, making it one of the town’s largest employers. Right now it is not clear on whether they will be open for operations on Thursday.